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Soul and Matter
Is this world only matter? Or is there more than matter? The seers see this world as a combination of both soul and matter. It is a partnership between soul and matter. They are together from time immemorial. There was no time when you can say that there was no world or there will be no world. Yes, there will be change, but that does not mean there will be no existance or there will be zero, no substance. This seer knows that for us there is always change. Every minute the form changes, and what we call destruction is nothing but a change.
Change is not annihilation. The idea of annihilation is not cherished in Jainism. The world is going to remain and it will go on changing. Manhattan will never be the same as it was 300 years ago. It was different then; something else was here. And in 1,000 years this City will be different. The matter may remain but its form will change.
The question arises-how do we distinguish the soul from the matter or the life from non-life? What are the criteria? The criterion of life is consciousness, and nonconsciousness is the criterion of matter. Wherever you see consciousness, you see growth. There the life is pulsating, but wherever there is stagnation or no growth, there is non-consciousness or matter. The fulfillment of life is evolution and completion. There is that in you which is ever-growing. That evolves and reaches a point which we call perfection. In this ultimate state of perfection there is no interference
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